LAUSR

Spinal cord injury (SCI) results in devastating cardiovascular dysfunction. Noxious stimuli from the rectum during bowel routine often trigger life-threatening blood pressure surges, termed autonomic dysreflexia (AD). Rectal application of anesthetic lidocaine jelly has been recommended during bowel care to reduce AD severity by mitigating sensory input. However, clinical studies have reported contradicting evidence. We performed a preclinical study on the efficacy of rectal lidocaine in a standardized rodent T3 transection model. 2% and 10% lidocaine significantly reduced AD severity by 32% and 50% respectively compared to control (p<0.0001). Our pre-clinical experiments support the current recommendation of rectal lidocaine application during bowel care.